


Paper Planes

by sIRoDDbALL



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:14:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23813626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sIRoDDbALL/pseuds/sIRoDDbALL
Summary: Lisa and Yukina used to send paper planes to each other. They're getting older, so they don't need to do that anymore.Spoilers for the Noble Rose (Future World Fes) trilogy event stories
Relationships: Imai Lisa/Minato Yukina
Comments: 4
Kudos: 57





	Paper Planes

**Author's Note:**

> I spent... so long on this story only because of online classes XD It was worth churning this one out though

_Dear Yukina,_

_How are you? I wanna write you a letter like in the_ ~~_moves_ ~~ _movies Mama watches! It was one about people far away from each other so they sent letters to talk. I thought it was sad they could not hear each other at all! I_ ~~_cant_ ~~ _can not imagine how your Papa’s music would sound on paper…_

_But Mama said it can be a good thing with best friends! Writing this is tons of fun, because you can put a lot of feelings into words! I guess its like your dad with music! I wanna write songs together some day! I wanna play together with you! Your Papa can teach me how to play his bass! I can help you with writing and music making and outfit making! We can have fun together forever if we make a band!_

_Love Lisa_ _❤_ _!_

As she squiggled down the last character perfectly, Lisa felt the excitement bubble to the brim. Her first letter to Yukina; the first of many she hoped. But this one was going to be a special letter. No mailman can see this precious piece of writing before Yukina! She was gonna fly it over, like those birds the other day with wings flapping. Her father said that paper cranes don’t fly, but she could make a plane instead! Her mother was gonna help too! 

She looked at her paper again, making sure everything she wrote down perfectly fit into the space and each line was perfectly straight. Her dad was perfect at music after all, so Yukina needed the perfect letter.

Finally satisfied, Lisa took off to the living room. “Mama!” She shouted, heading straight over to the dining table. Her mother took her eyes away from her laptop, the screen filled with numbers and words she couldn’t understand, yet. “I finished the letter! Look at it!” 

Her mom pushed her device aside and placed the paper onto the table. Lisa jumped into her lap immediately. “Alright honey, let your mom work her editing magic.” Lisa leaned into touch of her mom’s patting. Gentle eyes scanned through the whole letter quickly and she wanted to read as fast as her mom someday. “It’s so well-written! You did a great job sweetie.”

“Yaay! Do you think Yukina will like it?”

“She is going to love it.” As she said that, the large hand ruffling her hair moved to the paper. “Watch very closely Lisa. You make a fold here,” the paper was folded like a hot dog and opened up, “then you start making a little roof along the line here, you make the roof stronger like this… and then in half again. Bend down here to make the wings and,” a plane appeared before her eyes. “Ta-dah!”

Her vision sparkled, eyes practically popping out of her head. “That’s amazing! I wanna do it!”

“You can try when you make another letter to Yukina. But right now, you get to do the best part; making it fly all the way to her.”

“Thanks Mama!” Lisa grabbed the plane and hopped off her lap. She ran back to her bedroom, where Yukina would be. Her mother trailed behind her, telling her to slow down. At the balcony, the black and dark blue settled in and she hopped up and down, hoping Yukina was there waiting. “Yukina!” She called. At that moment, the screen door opened, revealing the small girl.

“Hi Lisa! Hi Lisa’s mama!” Yukina bowed respectively, disappearing behind the railing.

Her mom laughed and bowed as well. “Hello Yukina. How are your parents?”

The music-loving girl popped up with stars in her eyes. “Good! Papa is writing a new song right now!”

“Really?!” Lisa’s face was a perfect mirror to Yukina’s own based on the mirthful expression on her mom. “I can come tomorrow and hear it, right Mama?” She responded with a nod. “Yes! I can’t wait!” Lisa began hugging her mother’s legs, flinching back realizing the plane was still in her hands. “Oh yeah! Yukina! Look at what I made!” She was hopping up and down with her arm outstretched until her mom caught her and took her daughter into her hold.

“Wooah! Can it really fly?”

“Uhuh! Here, catch it!” Lisa was just about to toss it with all her might before her mom stopped her. “B-But I wanna give it to Yukina…”

“It won’t make it if you throw it like that,” she said, shaking her head. “If you throw it too hard, the plane can’t fly on it’s own and it won’t go far.” Both girls looked at the adult in amazement. “It can’t fly on it’s own though. You need to throw like you’re guiding it down a path.”

“Guide?”

“Like… showing it where to go,” she clarified. “It might not be a straight path, but the plane will get to where it needs to be.”

Lisa nodded, trying to absorb the information. She observed her grip on the plane, her body tilting like those metronomes she saw and nearly falling over as a result. As she took aim, she felt her mother’s gentle hand overlap her own. Lisa allowed her grip to slacken while the larger hand followed through the motion.

She locked her gaze into the night sky above her small body. Lisa saw the white bird cut through the air and loop around in circles before curving in the direction of Yukina’s place. The little girl across the way backed up, her amber eyes not pulling away from the flight path. A blink and there her letter was in Yukina’s hold, cradling it like how Lisa was in her mother’s arms. 

A spring compressed under the weight of anticipation was released and Yukina began to bounce. “Lisa! Lisa look look! I got it!”

Lisa was let down and she pushed herself up on the railing, barely supporting her own weight. “That was so awesome! Did you see it?”

“Yeah! Your letter is amazing!” Yukina opened the letter up, her eyes twinkling at the sight of a real, actual letter. “I’m gonna make you a letter too, okay? It’ll be just like yours!”

“Make it now! I wanna read it!”

A low chuckle rang out in the dark. “It’s getting late, you two. Yukina can send the note tomorrow, Lisa.”

“‘Kaay!” The two girls waved goodbye and went inside their homes, certain that they’ll see each other tomorrow.

“Lisa!” Said girl ran over to Yukina and took her into a tight hug. “I read your letter last night and this morning!”

Lisa took Yukina’s hand and they began to walk towards the usual path. “Did you like it? I worked extra hard to make it perfect.”

A big nod, “It was perfect. I’m gonna make mine after school today!”

The smile on her face was infectious. Lisa felt a burst of energy spread from her chest to her legs and hands. She began skipping, her pace slow enough so that Yukina could stay on the lookout for cats. “And I can still come after school still, right?”

“Yeah! Papa said he’s working on a new song.” Yukina’s tone, though no more different, felt all the more enthused at the mention of music practice. Yukina loved music, so if Yukina loved it, Lisa did too. As long as they stayed like this, they could stay happy forever! “He’s gonna teach us how to draw more notes so we can write our own song soon.”

“Eh? Really?”

“Yep! So we can form a band together really soon and make pretty dresses like you wanted!” Yukina let go of her hand briefly to twirl around, her imaginary dressing flaring up like a flower. 

Lisa’s heart was pounding all the faster. A band with Yukina meant staying together with Yukina forever! 

“Lisa? You’re smiling really widely.”

“Eheh~ I’m just really happy right now.” She squeezed her hand a little tighter. Yukina responded in kind. 

“Me too.”

The sky was clear enough that stars could be seen tonight. Lisa leaned against the railing, wondering when Yukina would come out; she would like the view. Her mom wasn’t with her so she wouldn’t be scolded for her pouting.

“Ah, Lisa-chan. A pout like that will ruin your poor face. Yukina’s right here.” Her head whipped around, the screen door shuttered open and there Yukina was, paper plane in hand. “Sorry it took so long. Yukina wanted this to be a really good letter.”

“Ah, I don’t mind waiting! I don’t!” Lisa insisted. Yukina’s eyes caught hers and Lisa felt her already-wide smile grow ever more. 

Yukina tugged at her father’s sleeve and Yukina was placed on her father’s shoulders and Lisa felt small under that tower. With small hands, Yukina gripped the plane with caution. Lisa recognized the paper from those music composition notebooks rather than the standard loose-leaf. She hesitated and squeezed her eyes shut when letting the plane fly.

The plane curved and dipped erratically, more so than Lisa’s yesterday. The aspiring bassist ran from side to side trying to follow it as it fell. Just as it was above her head, the wind kicked up and it swerved into the opposite direction, too far down for her to go after.

Lisa jerked her head up towards Yukina, seeing the girl with tears in her eyes and her father attempting to reassure her. “Don’t worry Yukina. We can pick it up when you go to school tomorrow.”

“Y-Yukina!” She cried out, tears now falling freely. Lisa wasn’t sure why. “I promise I’ll get your letter right away! I’ll read it, no matter what!” She took in a sobbing breath. “A-And then I’ll read again and again. I’ll read it a hundred times over!”

Lisa had trouble sleeping that night. She woke up early the next day, running to the spot outside, just under their rooms. The girl opened it up, not wincing at the smears and carefully reading every word. She greeted Yukina at her doorstep, dirtied paper plane in her hands.

* * *

Lisa dimly smiled at the red-marked 86 at the top of her page. Japanese was always one of her better subjects, unlike math. Yukina had some troubles, but it was of little concern to the vocalist, now more than ever before. Lisa simply accepted it and tried to make the best of her first year of high school, without the bass.

She glanced at her desk mirror, making sure the small pimple under her chin wasn't too noticeable. Lisa stood up and her eyes lingered across her room, further into the purple curtains. She could see the faint silhouette of her childhood friend if she squinted. “I wonder how she did on the test…” she mumbled, falling onto her bed. She could guess the answer to her question, but Lisa wanted to ask her anyway. 

The ceiling wasn’t very entertaining, so she pulled up her phone, mindlessly scrolling through Insta. Make-up accounts, stories on cute restaurants and the latest in flashy accessories; standard stuff for her.

An image of a red bass for sale flew by her screen and her hand shook minutely. She sat up, face to face with her own red bass, though of a different model from the one being featured. It was a gift from Yukina’s father, back when she was just starting out. It was tough for her to learn to strum a single note, let alone play at all. Practicing with Yukina everyday certainly helped with that, as her body got used to the strain and her fingers grew a little longer. She looked at her hands, clean and clear of most of the cuts and bruises from excessive playing. The few that were there were hardly there at all and any attention to that was overshadowed by her flashy and polished nails. 

Lisa considered returning to practice many times, but decided against it every day. Perhaps it would be best to donate it to someone.

A deep sigh echoed in her quiet room and she dragged herself off the bed. She should tell her mom about that. Lisa took a few steps and, “Ow!” her foot sent shocks of pain throughout her body. The small table’s leg shifted from the impact and she fell onto her bookcase. Lisa had one hand on top of the case, propping her body up with as much strength as she could muster. She was stronger than she expected, Lisa thought, as the wheels at the bottom rolled back and forth from her weight. The door was loose and it swung open from the applied force. A small binder ended up falling out. 

“Yikes. Must be really out of it huh…” she spoke, mostly to herself, as she picked up the thin book. She attributed it to the litter of stickers and seals on the cover but if Lisa was honest, the yellowing paper sticking out was what immediately drew her eyes. Her gut clenched when she realized what it was.

She shook her head to be rid of the oncoming storm of pestering thoughts, yet the clouds hung heavy. Rain fell outside and Lisa decided to flip through the old album. Lisa tossed her body to the table she tripped over and quickly adjusted the leg of it. 

Her palms grew sweaty but she willed herself to flip open the book. “Sheesh! My fashion sense was so bad,” she laughed forcefully, talking to the self that was a mere four years old; fashion sense at that age was her parents' fashion sense. She drifted her eyes over to the picture next to it. It was of her and Yukina, sitting on an old couch Lisa didn’t have anymore. “Meh, I guess crocs kinda work when we’re kids.”

The next few pages were much similar; smiling faces of Lisa and her bestest friend in the world, doing whatever they could as children. Lisa felt like she was travelling through time, seeing their appearances in each picture shifting and changing. Coloring books, bikes, singing, playing toy instruments; these suddenly disappeared as they grew older. Jawlines gradually becoming more defined, hair growing longer, eyes becoming larger, clothes changing slowly from hand-me downs and cartoon graphics to proper brand names Lisa could now label, it really felt like one of those sci-fi time machines. 

It was almost sad in a way, but Lisa concluded that the person she turned out to be now wasn’t so bad, at least on a surface level she thought.

Tucked away at the back was some kind of folder, where the paper from earlier was peeking out from. Opening it revealed every single letter that was exchanged between the two of them, all of them having folds in the same places. Being a little more mature now, she liked to think at least, Lisa questioned the point in such an exchange. They were neighbors afterall; they saw each other every single day. Her eyes drifted back over to the closed curtains.

The wave of nostalgia was more intense than she expected. Lisa, with shaky hands, brought the oldest and most crumpled piece of paper in front of her. It was Yukina’s first letter to her, still having a fading brown smear from falling to the ground. She knew most of what it said; a younger Lisa remembered every single word.

_DEAR LISA,_

_Papa is saying I cant write in big letters like that sorry. I am doing good! I really really like your letter! Papa says that maybe if you read music notes you can hear it whenever! I am going to try copying my Papa’s music here so you can listen to it!_

The music notes she recognized as a simplified version of what was now the most quintessential song in her childhood friend’s life; the song that got her father recognized by an official record label. Rather than the music, Lisa could almost hear Yukina’s voice criticizing her own self as a child and her lack of skill. The image of it happening in such clarity almost broke her down right then and there. She willed the tears back though; Lisa still had her make-up on. She continued reading.

_Someday I will write my own music like Papa and we can go to big concerts and play on stages like him. I wanna keep singing until I can be good enough to sing with Papa and Lisa! I love music!_

_Let’s write to each other again tomorrow! I can show you more music I wrote. I love you Lisa!_

~~_Yukinya_ ~~

_Minato Yukina_

Lisa was an emotional person, this was undeniable even to herself. With that, she allowed the stream of tears to come gushing out, doubling over onto the surface of the table from the sobs that stabbed at her throat. “Yukina…” She couldn’t let anyone know she was crying though, so she bit into her sleeve, hoping that it would muffle the sound enough.

The Yukina who loved music was long gone. She knew this. That’s why she quit the bass. She wanted Yukina to sing with a smile again. So she can’t push her feelings onto her; she should let Yukina do what she wants. All she can do now is stay by her side, hoping Yukina will find what she needs.

She lifted her head shakingly now that her cries had calmed down. Her sleeves were stained with black smears but Lisa couldn’t bring herself to care right now. Her gaze lingered onto the paper, tracing the slight creases from old folds. Her hands followed such guidelines and soon a paper plane was in her hands.

“I’m surprised I can still make one…” she said, as she let it fly across her room. The note didn’t stay in the air for long and it settled at the edge of her balcony.

Lisa’s eyes were affixed on purple curtains. “Good night, Yukina. I’ll see you tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that.” Lisa closed her red ones, remaining where she stood even when she did.

“I’ll watch over you forever, okay? It’s a promise.”

* * *

The sound of her bass echoed in her room as she idly strummed it. Initially, she felt tempted to practice LOUDER, but mid-way through the intro did Lisa realize that they would play that song no longer. Instead, she quickly shifted the positioning of her fingers and Yakusoku began to play. 

“I wonder what Yukina is doing right now?” She voiced, not really needing an answer to that. Her curtain was open and she could see the light peaking through the opening in Yukina’s. She trusted that Yukina would call on her when Lisa was needed and she would be right there. Just like when they were kids. “Ah jeez, now I’m starting to get all sentimental. Can’t get sad about everything,” she said, smiling anyways.

The distance that couldn’t be reached by their hands was made up for with planes, and when even that wasn’t enough, they walked and tripped and fell until they were beside each other again. Despite everything, Lisa would change absolutely nothing. 

“Ah, now that I think about it…” her playing came to a halt, She set her instrument down gently, rummaging through her drawers. “Here it is,” a piece of paper. One side had Yukina’s handwriting, unmistakable to her childhood friend. Lisa flipped the letter over, reading what she had written a year ago.

_Dear Yukina,_

_I think the younger you would be proud of how far you’ve come. I am, that’s for sure. LOUDER couldn’t’ve been sung any other way, because it was sung by you. I know your feelings towards music aren’t as simple as back then, but the Yukina who sang that song, all songs, with all her emotions; the ones uncertain, undeniable and unbridled, is still the same Yukina I love. The same one I loved when we were both children and the same Yukina I love now, whenever now is when you read this. You might not need me as much anymore, but I’ll be here no matter what, so don’t forget about me just yet._

_We’ll make it to Future World Fes, together, as Roselia._

_Love,_ _Lisa_

“Haha, this is really embarrassing, yikes…” The bassist said, laughing away the heartrending feelings filling up her chest. She squinted her eyes at the paper a little. “This colored pen was kinda nice though. I wonder if I still have it,” Lisa questioned to herself, opening her drawers.

“I borrowed a couple pens from you before, so I might have it.” She felt the red from the page creep up on her cheeks, threatening to take over her whole face as the other voice rang out.

“Woah! Y-Yukina?!” Sure enough, there the vocalist was standing on the balcony in her cat-patterned pajamas in the dead of night. If she weren’t so freaked out, the gyaru would have taken a picture of the strange yet adorable sight. Lisa shoved the paper in the open drawer, unsure what was so embarrassing about it.

“Did I scare you that badly?” She asked as Lisa stepped out to meet her outside.

“A little. I wasn’t expecting you to call me so suddenly.” Yukina was quiet for a moment, nothing new for the stoic girl. The smaller girl’s hands fidgeted behind her back. “Sooo, you weren’t waiting for me to bring up the topic pens were you?” She teased.

“...I had some ideas for another song,” Yukina said, half embarrassed for some reason.

“Oohoho! Already Yukina? Guess that Future Fes really inspired a lot of stuff for all of us, huh?”

Another bit of silence between them. “Indeed… and the band is growing rapidly as well from the event.”

“As in popularity? Or something more?”

Yukina’s mouth twitched into a serene smile. Lisa once desperately wished to see it yet now with Roselia, it felt natural, like the sun rising and setting. “I guess both in that sense. I am truly thankful for them and what we’ve been given. But we can’t let it get to our heads. We still have a long way to go.”

Lisa let out a laugh, “Man, I forget how similar you and Sayo sound sometimes.” From a smile to reddened cheeks, Lisa couldn’t have imagined such a thing with Yukina before. “Well, a lot of things are different between you two when we get down to it. But definitely back then you two were peas in a pod.”

“Lisa,” a chirp of a cricket filled the night air. The stars shone down on them. “While that may be true back then, I’m not the exact same person I was, am I?” For a moment, Lisa thought she was getting mad at her. But, she knew it wasn’t like that; Yukina wouldn’t be looking at her so wistfully if that was the case.

“No, neither of us are. Sorry about recalling the past and stuff though,” she said. “I guess I just got caught up in some memories. Sure, I like reminiscing, but I’m not as sad as I used to get over the past.” 

Yukina must really be at a loss for words tonight. It made the gyaru wonder what kind of help she needed from Lisa in the first place. “So, uh, Yukina. Why did you come outside anyways?”

“Do I need a specific reason to see you?” And just like that, Lisa’s heart turned into a rocket and broke into orbit. Now _she_ was the speechless one. “But, I did want to talk about something with you anyways.”

“O-Oh! Yeah, sure, shoot! Whatcha need? Just let Lisa-nee in about all your worries, ahaha! K-Kidding!” Lisa was having an internal breakdown. Only Yukina could scramble her brain like eggs without a second thought. That girl might be better in the kitchen than she previously thought.

Yukina turned to leave, her hands shifting. “...If you aren’t feeling well we can save it for later-”

“No! Nono! I’m okay,” Lisa made a show of taking a deep breath at the deadpan look, her arms exaggerating her actions. “See?” Lisa decided to stop messing around now, smiling sincerely at her friend. “All jokes aside, you know you can tell me anything about anything, Yukina. I’ll be right here.”

The stoic girl was taken by surprise a little, judging by her eyes widening. “...Do you remember? Those letters we sent each other?” Lisa’s shock must have shown as Yukina continued. “To tell the truth, I kept them from all the way back then. I looked at one the other day.” Yukina’s hands, hidden away behind her, came forward and a paper plane sat in her palms. “I know I sent a letter to you tons of times before… but remembering it, I wanted to give a better response to it. I wrote on the back here-”

“W-Wait wait Yukina! Just a moment okay? Wait right here,” Lisa ran into her room, quickly wiping away the tears that sprung up. She pulled out the paper, a message from her past self to the Yukina before her. Quickly, she folded it, this time not along the old creases.

“Okay done! Here! Take this too!” Her arms much longer now, she extended it out to the bewildered vocalist. Instead of a plane, it was a bird. “I know you want to put the past behind you, and I think this is a good way to start new, right?” Yukina glanced down at her plane, her hands just about to undo her foldings. “Stop!” She did. “S-Still, instead of just pushing it behind us, let’s honor what we had.” Lisa's smile grew, the song LOUDER briefly running through her mind. “Let this be… our very last letters to each other.”

Yukina looked back at her with the same look she had after their performance the other day. The world around them faded away. “Yes, our very last ones, and we will start anew,” she said, taking the bird carefully from Lisa as well as a few steps back. She readied her plane. “I hope you’re prepared, Lisa!”

“Always!” She winked and the plane cut through the air. Lisa felt like she was six again. This time, the plane flew with less faults but faults nonetheless. Somehow, it captured the charm of the first ever flight the two of them saw. Just as it faltered before reaching all the way across, Lisa reached out and caught it. “Yukina! Did you see it?”

“Yes,” she said breathlessly. “Yes I did.”

“Oookay! On the count of three then!” Her heart raced a mile a minute, suddenly afraid.

“One.” This was basically a confession letter, right? Well, hers was at least.

“Two.” What if she just made a fool of herself?! This can’t be how it ends right?

But then Lisa remembered everything and nothing at the same time, and decided to put her trust in Yukina.

“Three!”

The two unfolded the paper quickly.

_Dear Lisa,_

_I love singing. I couldn’t say that for sure before, and I caused a lot of problems and worrying in the past that I always felt guilty for pushing onto you. I wondered if the band Roselia has become is the kind of band a younger Lisa dreamed of. We did make it to the stage we always dreamed of, so perhaps it finally became that band. Maybe, just maybe, it didn’t matter if we made it to Future World Fes or not. I can’t say for certain though, and I’m okay with that._

_Instead, I thought about if Roselia is the kind of band you want to see the pinnacle with. If I asked this to my old self, my answer would’ve been a certain no. Seeing you so happy with a bass in your hands on every stage we stood on showed me the way. And I know for sure now my singing may bring you the same kind of happiness. As long as we have Roselia, we can deal with whatever struggles may come forth, whatever we may become in the future._

_With that said, I like to hold up promises of my own, after you made so many._

_I promise that I love music more than anyone else._

_I promise that I love you more than anyone else._

_-Yukina_

Lisa was a blubbering mess. “Yukina~!”

“Yes?” The smiles they shared were one in the same, but Yukina’s seemed a little more smug, as if proud of herself for making Lisa so emotional. Or was it something else? It really didn’t matter right now.

“We’re going on a date tomorrow! Okay?!” She cried out through her tears. “We are absolutely going out after practice!”

“Is that going to be a promise?” Yukina reached out her pinky. Lisa immediately wrapped hers around it.

“Promise! I promise it a hundred times over!”

“I know,” Yukina interlocked their hands, bringing her lips tenderly onto the back of her bassist’s hands, littered with cuts and blisters. “You never broke a promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> I have [twitter](https://twitter.com/sIRoDDbALLS) btw if you want spam about ships and writings and me complaining... yeah don't if you want someone fun
> 
> sidenote: [If you're wondering about that whole bookcase thing (cse even I was when I was writing this) its an actual thing Lisa has in her room... if I'm looking at it right ](https://bandori.party/asset/734/Bedroom/)idk how those things work :p


End file.
